Norm wrote:Addendum...
Micah Yandell told me the Gibson Chet is playing in that Mark O'Coonor clip is not a Country Gentleman. It was a transitional model Chet used before the Gibson Country Gentleman was actually built. (hence the block inlays) Paul is using a Gretsch with an Ocatabass setup.
The pickups on that guitar are EMG’s according to Micah, not Gibson low impedance. Paul had installed them on that guitar.
Of interest, the fingerboard pickup had lines drawn on them in nail polish to help Chet hit his harmonics accurately. Micah still has those pickups.
With sincere respect to Micah, I want to share with you what I know about this guitar. I have first-hand knowledge of this instrument, as I own the Gibson guitar (with block inlays) which Chet is playing in this clip. I purchased it in 1990, and received full documentation and authenticity in a letter from Chet. I am the only other owner other than Chet. In a letter from Chet, he stated that this guitar was one of two prototype "Country Gentleman" guitars delivered to him by Rendall Wall of Gibson. I am somewhat sure that both prototypes were delivered at the same time. The model is an ES-350WR, before the actual Country Gentleman model designation was assigned a few years later to the production models. It is identical to the first production CG guitars with the exception of the inlay markers and the pickups. One other difference is the presence of a volute which Gibson was doing at that time on many of their guitars. The signed date on the underside of the top has the Gibson luthier's signature and May 1981 handwritten. According to my conversations with both Mr. Wall and Chet, the guitar was delivered with these black pickups installed, along with the low impedance version pickups which sported white plastic covers for Chet to try. Chet used the low impedance pickups for some time, and later restored the guitar to its original configuration with the black ones. Both pickups are potted and stamped GIBSON, not EMGs, and I have both sets in my possession. Chet stated to me that he thought he was losing highs with the low impedance versions, and that he was certain that a change in pot values would solve the problem. I have those low impedance pickups with the attached harness in a box that Chet gave me, as well as those black pickups which Chet re-installed on the guitar to restore it to its original configuration. Rendall, who delivered the guitars, told me that this guitar was the first Gibson CG prototype, in spite of some other statements to the contrary. Chet's brother Lowell also told me that the guitar was the second one that Gibson made for Chet, the first one being the nylon string guitar and this one being #2 and the first electric steel string. The other sister prototype was later given to Paul Yandell. It also is a ES350 model, however I may be in error about that; I need to check the information that Paul shared with me to be sure. This guitar had the gold humbuckers and lacked the fretboard inlay markers. Chet later added the red tape to the fretboard, which was subsequently adopted by Gibson. The serial number and date on the underside of the top seems to prove this to be true. With due respect to Micah, I am simply stating what I know firsthand and what I have been told. I have those black pickups still installed on this guitar which is in my possession today. I am not sure what pickups that Micah has, but they are not the ones that originally came with the guitar and appear in most of the video clips. I too was personal friends with Chet, and I'm merely restating the information which was told to me by Chet, his brother Lowell, and Gibson's Rendall Wall. I suppose there could have been some things that I am not aware of, or were perhaps relayed to me in error, too.
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:56 pm